Duration

3 Hours

Location(s)

Town(s)

Hang Gliding at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head is an Outer Banks must! Take a Beginner Lesson with us and learn how to fly a Hang Glider on your first lesson. Each lesson is about 3 hours long and includes Ground School and 5 solo training flights. Reserve your spot today!

Dune Hang Gliding lessons are conducted at our training facility in Jockey’s Ridge State Park located at Mile Post 12 in Nags Head, NC. The dunes of Jockey’s Ridge provide the perfect platform for learning to hang glide. They have plenty of height for beginners, and are soft for landing. Through special arrangement with the State Park Service, we are allowed to conduct hang gliding lessons from these dunes. We have been providing lessons at this site for over 25 years.

A typical Beginner Dune Hang Gliding Lesson is 3 hours long and starts with check-in (30 minutes prior to class time). Each class has no more than 5 students per instructor. You then have about 1 hour of ground school including a training video.

After ground school, your class proceeds to the dunes via a scenic walkway. It’s about a 200 yard walk to the base of the dunes. Once you have climbed to the the top of the dunes (the instructor carries the glider) you begin your solo hang gliding flights. The instructor is there to help. He/she will help you get into the harness, provide any last minute instructions, and help you launch.

You will run into the wind, and depending on the wind conditions (and your weight and skill), you can travel anywhere from 30 to 100+ yards at 5 to 15 feet above the sand. Each trip down the dune is termed a “flight.” The standard beginner lesson includes 5 flights. You might not land on your feet your first or even your second attempt.

Ground School – $39

included with all Beginner Dune Lessons

Ground School is a fundamental portion of any Hang Gliding Lesson with Kitty Hawk Kites on the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park – it is required for every student. If it has been more than a year since your last Ground School, you will be required to take that portion of the lesson again. Ground School includes…hang gliding and state park orientation, hang gliding history, glider control inputs, launching, flying and landing techniques, training film, equipment orientation.

**NEW** Kitty Hawk Kites has just added a new Easy Flyer to our Dune Hang Gliding offering. Ask about the new light-weight tricycle gear from one of the most trusted brands in Hang Gliding, Wills Wing. The Easy Flyer allows for additional people to have the opportunity to try hang gliding on the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park with the ease of being able to fly with a tricycle option.

Water – Bring a lot more than you think you’ll need. When on the dunes, bury it in the sand to keep it cold.

Sunscreen – If you apply it before the lesson, remember to bring it out on the hill!

Eye protection – Even on an overcast day it is still very bright on the dunes.

Comfortable Clothing – You’ll be running for a short distance, so stay comfy.

Athletic Clothing – Our harnesses have leg loops which may cause shorts, skirts, or spandex to ride up when using. Mid-thigh to full pants or leggings, depending on weather, tends to be the most comfortable.

Proper Footwear – Walking on the sand barefoot is easiest, but sometimes it can get hot. Either wear sneakers, a pair of socks (or two), or if it’s not too hot, wear flip flips and kick them off as needed.

Camera – You WILL want pictures! Bring a plastic bag to protect it (and other valuables).

Other tips & recommendations:

It’s a good idea to dress in layers. You can always peel them off! During the spring & fall it can get chilly out on the dunes–especially when the wind is blowing hard. There’s always more wind on the dunes than in the parking lot.

Bring a light snack (unless your diet consists of sand) and a blanket to sit on.

The Friends of Jockey’s Ridge is a nonprofit organization established in 1990 for the support and maintenance of programs and the development of facilities of Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Their mission is to support, enhance and promote Jockey’s Ridge State Park as a significant geologic feature of the Outer Banks, North Carolina.

From the earliest of times, Jockey’s Ridge has been enjoyed by many natives and visitors to the Outer Banks. It is a unique park due to its geological features and due to its natural movement and change. To help establish the Park an earlier nonprofit organization, called the People to Preserve Jockeys Ridge, was formed in the early 1970’s at a time when the dune was threatened with development for houses. As a result of their efforts, Jockey’s Ridge became a State Park in 1975. Today the park is enjoyed and supported by more than 1 million annual visitors.

GoPro Film & Photo Package

PRE-Purchase – $29 plus tax ($10 Savings)

Kitty Hawk Kites offers GoPro footage of your lesson so that you can relive this memory for years to come. We film each flight you take above the dunes of Jockey’s Ridge State Park. Within 48 hours of your lesson all of your flight footage plus at least 50 to 100 fully edited digital photos of your Hang Gliding experience will be emailed to you.

The footage and digital photos are social media ready so you can easily share with friends and family!